Britain announces U-turn on arming merchant vessels

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that merchant vessels flying the red ensign will be allowed to carry armed guards for protection against acts of piracy.

Previous governments have been opposed to arming the merchant marine, but with no sign of a respite in acts of piracy on the high seas and naval assets spread thin, the decision has been welcomed as a common sense measure that could save ship owners and the insurance market many millions of pounds.

The announcement comes following talks at the recently concluded Commonwealth Heads of State meeting in Australia. Many member states face the same escalating piracy issue in the waters of their shores. The home secretary will be given the power to license maritime armed guards under the new plan, but they can only be deployed while passing through dangerous waters, such as the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin.

Government figures reveal that 49 of the world’s 53 pirate hijackings took place of the coast of Somalia last year. Up to 200 vessels flying the red ensign regularly operate in these waters and officials believe that about 100 of these will immediately apply for permission to carry armed guards. It is admitted that many ships in the national register already carry armed personnel when necessary. The policy shift legalises this security measure.

Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, every ship is subject to the jurisdiction of the country whose flag it carries. Legal experts warn that licensing ships to carry armed guards could still fall foul of laws in other countries. Egypt recently announced that armed guards would not be permitted on ships sailing through the Suez Canal, for example.

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